Last Updated on August 11, 2024 2:45 pm
BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University’s student-led, interdisciplinary solar vehicle team, Team Sunergy, achieved a podium finish after a strong showing in the 2024 Electrek American Solar Challenge (ASC), an international solar vehicle distance road race held biennially by the Innovators Educational Foundation. Team Sunergy also took home this year’s Spirit of the Event Award for its collegiality, cross-team collaboration, expertise and technical innovation.
Over the eight-day competition, from July 20–27, ROSE (Racing on Solar Energy) — Team Sunergy’s multi-occupant vehicle — completed 1,562 miles, racing from Nashville, Tennessee, to Casper, Wyoming. The team tied for first place in the final stage of the race, clocking 198 miles and an average speed of 35 miles per hour.
Team Sunergy also secured second place in the qualifying race for the American Solar Challenge, the 2024 Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP). During this annual solar car race, also hosted by the Innovators Educational Foundation, competitors test their solar-powered vehicles on a closed-loop race track for eight hours each day.
“App State and North Carolina should be very proud of Team Sunergy’s presentation and accomplishments in the 2024 FSGP and ASC competitions,” said Chris Tolbert, Team Sunergy’s lead faculty advisor and a faculty member in the Department of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment.
Tolbert, a founding faculty member of Team Sunergy, said that, at the American Solar Challenge awards ceremony, several schools shared how the App State team members helped them get their cars rolling.
“Our advisers and students helped other teams at all levels — from answering questions about how we made something work on our car, to providing technical support to get other schools on the track and the road,” said Tolbert.
Team Sunergy Electrical and Operations Member Blaez Jibben, a junior computer science major from Holly Springs, said this year’s competition “was a super friendly environment with all teams helping out — a group effort. The teams push each other because everyone, every team, wants to see each other be successful.”
A tough course — qualifying for the American Solar Challenge
Prior to the American Solar Challenge, Team Sunergy traveled to the National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky, to compete in the challenge’s qualifying race, the Formula Sun Grand Prix, held July 16–18. ROSE completed a total of 202 laps (including one penalty lap) on the 3.15 mile-track, or 636 miles.
“Qualifying for the American Solar Challenge is a major accomplishment, and if teams have issues — and most do — students have to work around-the-clock to solve them,” said Tolbert.
To prepare for both the FSGP and ASC, Team Sunergy put ROSE to the test by racing practice laps at the North Wilkesboro Speedway on July 8. The team then participated in three days of scrutineering before the FSGP, from July 13–15. This is a required series of inspections of each solar vehicle’s mechanical and electrical components, including lights and vision, body and sizing, battery protection and tests of the solar arrays and vehicle dynamics. Team Sunergy qualified to enter the race in third position.
“The hardest part of this race has been adjusting to the track,” said Team Sunergy Operations Lead and Driver Aaron Green, a senior finance and banking major from Charlotte. “This course is tough, and it requires you to find the balance of managing ROSE’s tires and running the perfect lap time without being too inefficient on the battery’s state of charge.”
In the multi-occupant vehicle class, Canada’s Polytechnique Montréal took the first-place finish in the Grand Prix, with the University of Minnesota rounding out the podium in third. All three winning teams, along with the other Cruiser Class teams — Iowa State University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — then turned their attention to Nashville and the long-distance American Solar Challenge race ahead of them.
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Aaron Green, operations lead and driver for App State’s Team Sunergy, goes over instructions before beginning the 2024 Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix road race, held July 16–18 at the National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Team Sunergy completed 636 miles during the three-day event, finishing second and qualifying for the 2024 American Solar Challenge. Photo by Team Sunergy Media Advisor Kyla Willoughby
App State ambassadors for sustainability
“Team Sunergy prides itself on the quality and strength of our team of students,” said Zach Howard, a senior sustainable technology major from Holly Springs who serves as team manager, mechanical co-lead and driver for Team Suenrgy. “We don’t let our challenges set us apart from other teams — we use them to build the most reliable car and to lift up those around us to bring the team and App State closer to success.”
The team’s success is an extension of its members’ passion for sustainable transportation. The 15 students who make up this year’s team are pursuing various academic majors — from sustainable technology and banking and finance, to engineering physics and graphic communications management. They work on ROSE year-round, meeting regularly to review data and design options and run test laps. The team also regularly conducts community engagement and outreach events, from student camps on the Boone campus to educational displays of ROSE during Office of Sustainability-organized events, such as the university’s annual Appalachian Energy Summit.
“We have a great car design and a fantastic team,” said Green. “The team’s chemistry has revolutionized our program and should be attributed to our success.”
Since its formation in fall 2013, Team Sunergy has become a well-known ambassador for the university’s commitment to sustainability and ingenuity. The team began as a class project to build a solar-powered golf cart and has evolved into an award-winning team that has consistently secured podium finishes at North American track and road racing competitions. Early student teams began with a modified single-occupant race car, Apperion, and then built the current two-passenger car, ROSE.
Team Sunergy students gain invaluable experience and skills, with alumni reporting that their Team Sunergy membership has led to employment in various fields, such as engineering, transportation, manufacturing, e-commerce and even game development.
App State Team Sunergy members pose with their multi-occupant solar vehicle, ROSE, during Display Day on July 19 at the Adventure Science Center in Nashville, Tennessee, before embarking on the cross-country 2024 Electrek American Solar Challenge (ASC), held July 20–27. The student-led, interdisciplinary team finished second in both the ASC and the challenge’s qualifying race, the 2024 Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix, completing over 2,100 miles. Photo by Team Sunergy Media Advisor Kyla Willoughby
